Michael Schumacher helped ex-Ferrari boss Jean Todt to chat up Bond Girl fiancée
The glitz and glamour of both worlds mean that Formula 1 and Hollywood are no strangers to one another.
Race weekends, particularly those taking pace in the US or at famous locations like Monaco and Silverstone, often attract A-list celebrities keen to experience the grid for themselves. On the other hand, plenty of films have been made about the dangerous and high-octane world of F1.
Perhaps one of the less well-known links between the sport and the movies comes in the form of a relationship. Specifically, the one between former FIA president Jean Todt and his long time fiancée Michelle Yeoh.
They first began seeing each other almost 20 years ago, when Todt was leading the Ferrari team which dominated F1 at the time. Michael Schumacher was, of course, the driver who enjoyed the lion's share of that success.
As well as their former employer-employee relationship, Schumacher and Todt are also great friends. Whenever there is an update on the stricken former champion's health and condition, it is usually the Frenchman who shares it after a visit to the family home.
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Their bonds was perhaps strengthened by the integral role Schumacher played in helping Todt to woo his future fiancée. He had met Yeoh in 2004 when she took part in publicity for a Ferrari event in Shanghai. In a 2019 interview with FT, he described their first meeting as "a fairytale".
Todt and Michelle Yeoh have been engaged for 15 years (AFP via Getty Images)There was little hiding their spark from the press – photographers at the event snapped the moment Todt slipped the actress a pen so she could give him her phone number. The Frenchman also revealed that it was Schumacher who taught him how to communicate better over text to facilitate the beginning of their long-distance relationship.
They have been together ever since. Yeoh was already a household name for her role as a 'Bond Girl' in the 1997 film Tomorrow Never Dies, but also boasts a wealth of other major acting credits, including recent supporting roles in rom-com Crazy Rich Asians and Marvel movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Todt and Yeoh visited Schumacher in hospital in the days after his tragic skiing accident in December 2013 (Bongarts/Getty Images)Todt later became FIA president before leaving that role after three terms in December 2021. They live together near Geneva and have been engaged for 15 years.
Todt regularly writes glowing messages about his partner on social media, such as earlier this month when he congratulated Yeoh for her Golden Globes win. In March, she became the first Asian woman to win the Best Actress Oscar at the 95th Academy Awards, for her leading role in Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Writing on social media, her doting partner Todt said: "Moment of pure grace and immense happiness! What a journey! So proud of Michelle who received the Oscar Academy Award of the best actress." Accompanying that message was a photo of the two of them together holding the golden statue.
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